Welcome back to the Shuffle Button. We’re going to start this week off on a drum and bass tip before we move back into some newer house music. HERE. WE. GO.
Sub Focus feat. Alpines – Tidal Wave
Sub Focus is an incredible artist that spans many sub-genres of drum and bass. Most of his songs tend to be of the heavier variety, but he can make emotional and feel-good tracks with the best of them. Many of his most popular songs have an uplifting and fun quality about them that makes for an enjoyable listening experience.
“Tidal Wave” is a smash hit from four years ago that fits this description perfectly. The Alpines provide an impassioned vocal and Sub Focus matches it perfectly with a catchy and slowed down bass-line that allows the track to breathe. After Sub Focus is convinced you’ve been fully brought on board he busts out the drum and bass to get you moving.
It’s an all-around great song, and as we’ll see just one of the sounds Sub Focus can rock.
Wilkinson – Afterglow
Sticking with the fun and bouncy drum and bass theme, we bring to you, “Afterglow.” Wilkinson is so good at making songs that are a little bit mellow but still have pace to them. This song starts off slow with a seemingly somber vocal, but hits its stride pretty quickly and brings listeners along for a energetic ride.
“Afterglow” is all about having fun and making the most of your night, and Wilkinson’s production matches the mood perfectly with a track that rises and falls just like the peaks and valleys of a night out. It’s a classic Wilkinson tune, easygoing but lively.
Sub Focus feat. Stylo G – Lingua
Now we’re back to Sub Focus and seeing first-hand some of that heavier drum and bass that we we’re talking about.
“Lingua” shows Sub Focus embracing a different part of his sound that’s less liquid and on the more aggressive side. He concocts a nicely balanced backing that has the proper pacing and aggression to match Stylo G’s ragga vibe. If we were bouncing around to “Tidal Wave,” we’ll be stomping around to “Lingua.”
ATFC – Ahh Umm
We’re finally breaking away from drum and bass to indulge in some new house. ATFC brings the a different kind of bass in “Ahh Umm.”
Released earlier this month on Snatch! Records, this tune is infectious and soulful, bouncing and jacking. Sometimes simple is good, and the main rhythm section isn’t necessarily complicated, but still great. We’re always fans of building a song around upright bass because it immediately makes the tune groovy and fun.
Michael Calfan – On You
Following on with more new (ish) house theme, Michael Calfan brings something new in “On You”. Calfan is known more for his progessive and piano house sound. His songs tend to be cheerful and ready for a main-stage festival set. His production on “On You” shows that he’s ready to develop his music and try something different.
“On You” isn’t exactly a dancefloor weapon. Instead it settles into a dreamy and surreal feel that prompts the listener to treat it a different way than most house songs. It doesn’t have the usual and repeated structure of that characterize many songs in this genre. Instead Calfan allows the vocalist to really dig into the song. The tune and singer pair up beautifully to create something that’s fresh and little offbeat.
CHOOOOOOOOON of the Week
The Prodigy – Smack My B***** Up
We’re going to end this week going in a completely different direction than the rest of the post. Whereas the other songs were happy and bouncy, if it wasn’t obvious enough from the name, this track is anything but those things.
The Prodigy are legendary. One of the acts that owned electronica in the 90’s, their discography is littered with hit after hit. Unlike some of their contemporaries (the Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim), they focused almost exclusively on the harder side of the genre.
The heavy bass-line, the aggressive tone, the unyielding vocals all contribute to the impregnable sound that The Prodigy personified over twenty years ago. The Prodigy are electronica royalty, and “Smack My B***** Up” just scratches the surface of their mastery.
Share On
